ii n for b e s



' (NoModeLS J. FORBES. ATTACHMENT FOR GARVING FORKS.

N 554,173. Patented Pe .'4. 1

w \J V WITNESSES v INVENTOR 707773 ISM 4 littorney linrrn STATES FFICE.

.IOIIN FORBES, OF HALIFAX, CANADA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,173, dated February 4, 1896. Application filed February 6, 1895- Serial No. 537,544:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN FORBES, manufacturer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Halifax, in the county of Halifax, Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, have invented Improvements in Attachments for Carving-Forks, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of constructing the guard of a carving-fork and of attaching the same to the fork by means of a clamp or sheath, and also a combination, with the fork or the sheath, of sharpening disks or wheels for sharpening the carving-knife, so that the same maybe sharpened at pleasure and conveniently and with out the necessity of laying down the fork to take up and manipulate some other instrument. The guard and sharpening attachment, or either of them, can also, by means of the sheath, be applied to forks that have been in use in which the old guard may have bocome inoperative. The guard and sharpening-disks may also be attached to forks without the sheath, provided the shank of the fork has been suitably shaped for the purpose in the process of forging the same. This will be more clearly shown farther on.

The guard is an articulated guard jointed to the sheath or to the fork either by means of a riveted joint-pin or by means of screws. In the drawings accompanying this specification screws are shown.

The guard is so shaped and constructed that it maybe very economically produced by punching a suitably-shaped blank from steel plate and bending the same into shape by properly-designed dies, the spring-tongue for holding the guard in a vertical position while in use being formed upon the guard itself without the necessity of attachinga separate spring thereto.

The annexed drawings, in which the same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures, with the following description, will fully explain my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carvingfork fitted with my improved guard and sheath and sharpener. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the same, looking down upon the back of the fork. Fig. 3 is an end view of the sheath 'tance-pieces.

with the sharpeningdisks attached thereto, but without the guard. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a fork with my improved guard attached, but Without the sheath and also with out the sharpening-disks. It is obvious that the sharpening-disks can be attached to the fork without the intervention of the sheath, provided suitable bosses or projections are formed upon the under side of the shank of the fork in the process of forging the same.

A, Fig. 1, shows the sheath in position upon a fork. This sheath is preferably produced by being struck up in dies from suitablyshaped blanks, and it may be made of steel, nickel silver, or other suitable metal. In shape it somewhat resembles an inverted U, and thus is adapted to be pressed down over the shank of the fork, the sides and back of which are thus inclosed by it. The sides of the sheath extend below the forkshank and are each formed with two lugs or ears (shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1) behind the sharpening-disks. Said lugs or ears are each pierced with a hole to receive a rivet or screw for the purpose of securing the sheath in position upon the fork. The sheath may, however, be made from steel sufficiently elastic to enable it to be sprung over the shank of the fork and may be thus held in position without the aid -of screws or rivets, and as thus made may be adapted for replacing the guard upon forks that have been in use, as previously explained.

D D, Figs. 1 and 4, are two bushings or dis- These bushings fit between the sides of the sheath and maintain the proper distance of said sides apart. In fitting the sheath to a fork, small grooves or notches (shown dotted in Fig. 1) are filed in the under side of the fork-shank. These notches cotheir length and may be tapped to receive screws, as shown in the several figures.

C C C 0, Figs. 1 and 3, are four steel sharpening-disks, as-shown. They are placed in pairs, two on each side of the sheath. Preferably, these disks may be about half an inch in diameter and about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness. They are beveled at their edges and are placed in position with their edges alternating or overlapping relatively, in respect of each pair, so that the edge of the knife when drawn across them in the process of sharpening shall not pass down between their opposed diameters, but is held, in consequence of their overlapping beveled edges, in a better position for sharpening. Each of the disks has a single cutting-edge, and the vertical planes of the disks of each pair are substantially parallel.

The sharpening-disks are held in position by screws, as shown. Said screws pass through the disks and through the lugs or cars of the sheath and are screwed into the bushings or distance-pieces D D, as indicated in the several figures. If rivets are used instead of screws, a similar relation of parts is maintained, in which case, of course, the bushings are not tapped.

13, Figs. 1 and 2, is the guard. It is designed to be produced in a similar way to the sheathviz., by being punched from a sheet of steel into a properly-shaped blank, and afterward struck up with dies into shape required. A special feature of this guard is the springtongue B, Figs. 1 and 2, which is formed in one piece with the guard, avoiding the necessity of riveting a spring on. The end of this tongue or spring is bent down, as shown at f, Fig. 1.

The sheath A is formed with a small boss or hood D, Fig. (Shown ,also in dotted outline in Fig. 1.) A small groove or notch f, Fig. 1, is formed at the back of the boss or hood D, and upon raising the guard B into a position for use the bent end f of springtongu'e B engages with the notch f and holds the guard B in position. The boss or hood D on the upper part of the sheath A is filled with a bushing or distance-piece, (dotted at D, Fig. 3,) similar to those D D already described. This filling piece or bushing is drilled through. The sides of the sheath A are also drilled through to coincide with the center of bushing D. A notchor depression is filed in the fork-shank coinciding with the position of bushing D thereon. Screws passing through the sides of the guard B and sides of the hood D and being screwed into the bushing D secures the guard B in position and also assists in securing the sheath A upon the fork.

It is obvious that a rivet or pin passing through the sides of the sheath and through the bushings may be used instead of screws, as shown in the drawings. If it should be desired to combine the sharpening-disks with a carving-fork without the use of the sheath, bosses, as dotted at h h, Fig. 4, may be formed upon the fork-shank in the process of forging.

I am aware that articulated carving-fork guards acting similarly to the one shown have been used previously to my present adaptation thereof. I am also aware that sharpening-disks mounted in various ways for sharpening knives have also been in use prior to my invention. I do not therefore claim either of these devices per se.

hat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An attachment for forks comprising a sheath A which is somewhat of the form of an inverted U, and which is held over the shank of the fork, with its lateral portions extending below the said shank, the distancepieces D, D, which fit between the said lateral portions, said shank having grooves which are engaged by said pieces, and the bevel-edged disks O which are placed in pairs, two on each side of said sheath, to which they are secured, said disks being placed with their edges overlapping or 'alternating relatively in respect of each pair, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. An attachment for forks consisting of a sheath A held on the shank of the fork, said sheath havinga boss or hood D, the bushing D,the guard A having a forked real-portion, and a screw or pin passing through the fork of said guard and through the said hood and bushing, said guard having a rearwardly-extended spring-tongue within its fork, said tongue having a bent portion adapted to engage a notch of the said sheath, substantially as specified.

3. In an attachment for forks, the sheath bent over the shank of the fork, the distancepieces or bushings which connect, the lateral portions of the said sheath, and which engage notches or depressions in the shank of the fork, the guard articulated to the upper portion of said sheath, and the sharpeningdisks secured to the lower lateral portions, thereof, substantially as specified.

JOHN FORBES. IVitneSses:

W. J. FORBES, R. P. FORBES. 

